Everyone’s putting their best foot forward – Nairn

Everyone’s putting their best foot forward – Nairn

Glasgow Warriors winger Robbie Nairn is ready and raring to go ahead of the new season, as the build-up continues to Saturday’s opening match of the 2020/21 Guinness PRO14 season.

A trip to
Connacht awaits the Warriors in round one for the fourth time in five seasons,
as Head Coach Danny Wilson and his side look to kick off the new campaign in
style at the Sportsground.

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“It’s great
to be playing rugby again,” Nairn told glasgowwarriors.org.

“Everyone’s
chomping at the bit to get out there this weekend.

“Everything’s
been going really well on the training pitch, too – everyone’s keen to make a
good impression on the new coaches and things have been clicking for us.”

It’s been a
long road back to full fitness for the former Scotland U20 star; a knee injury
sustained in the opening match of the 2019/20 season against the Cheetahs in
Bloemfontein saw Nairn sidelined for all bar the final 18 minutes of the
campaign, when the winger came off the bench in last month’s 15-3 win over
Edinburgh.

Yet whilst
such a layoff is hardly ideal by any player’s imagination, Nairn believes it
could prove to be a blessing in disguise in the long run as he looks to compete
for a regular place in the starting lineup.

“It was a
real battle,” admitted the winger.

“It was
tough, but I’m proud that I stuck with it and came through it because now I
feel like I’m the fittest I’ve ever been. I feel faster and stronger, and I’m
in the best shape I can be in.

“Personally
lockdown gave me the chance to just heal – having the time to rest allowed me
to mentally and physically recharge. No-one could play, so it wasn’t like I was
missing out. When we came back in I felt really fresh, and it feels really good
to be healthy and out there challenging for selection.”


It will be
new Head Coach Danny Wilson that Nairn will need to impress ahead of Saturday’s
clash, as the new season draws ever closer. The winger has been impressed with
his new boss in his time at the club to date, and is making the most of the
breadth of knowledge available as he looks to continue his own development.

“The coaches
have done a really good job finding that balance,” enthused Nairn.

“They’ve not
come in trying to change too much about the club – we’re sticking to our
fundamentals, and they want to let us express ourselves. It’s about fine tuning
certain things, and tailoring certain aspects of our game to suit the game that
our opponents will be playing.

“It’s been
really good fun, to be honest – being able to quiz guys like Danny and Jonny
[Bell] and tap into their knowledge has been excellent. I think you’ll see a
lot of young guys develop this season, because everyone’s been giving their
best in training and putting their best foot forward.”

Indeed,
Nairn has fond memories of playing against this weekend’s opponents. His first
two tries for the club marked his first and only outing against the men from
Galway to date, yet the winger insists it’s all about the result come full-time
on Saturday night.

“I scored a
couple off the bench, which was nice – I’m usually pretty hacked off if I only
get 15 minutes off the bench, but I was pretty happy the last time we played
Connacht!” laughed Nairn.

“Ultimately,
it’s all about going across there and getting the win though. We want to start
the season with the right result and get off to a winning start.”

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